The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-11-25

It was saddening to turn from the cripple
to the others. Many of them were equally
gifted Intellectually, yet they had never at
tanned his contentment with his lot
A man in rough jacket, with careless
air, which was eontradicted by his face, said:
"Well, L fancyI have had a wider experience
than any of you, if change of employment
gives experience. There are few things
have not tried, but never succeeded in any.
I have been an errand boy, a plow boy, a
peddler, a miner, an engineer and an express
man. have written dismal trash to sell to
vilely cheap and mean papers have taught
grown men to read in exchange for crust
of bread ! have distributed advertisements
at street corners; and now am just where
was when started. have no home. I left
my last boarding place without paying, but
left my only good coat behind instead. I
slept last night in a car depot, and picked up
few cigar ends to keep the hunger off this
morning. I would take any job; but people
don't seem to want jobs done just now. They
look at me suspiciously and say: There's
lots Of work if you only bestir yourself and
look for it," a 7&
s'You and are much alike,' said man
opposite. II have looked for work both in
and out of my profession. am musician,
young aIlU uukuHWu. i nave ucdIu you dlA
talk of being poor, but when man loses
many possible good chance in his business
through the want of postage stamp at the
right time, I tell you he knows something of
poverty, though he may have good coat on
his back. In our profession poverty is a mat
ter of course We may be even famous and
starve Meanwhile I am obliged to keep up
appearances and live in decent house."
ssYes," said woman near him, "and dare
say not your own house. Well, If poor
boarders have their troubles, don't think
that the boarding house keeper sleeps on
bed Of roses. There is q hopeless side to pow
erty, and a contented side, and an expectant
side. But know of another. 1t is the ludi-
crous side. My husband died In debt There
was only the weary old way to support my
self. opened boarding house. I
wish ladies' could 60 lower down to
mako money. I had not the strength
of mind to do differently from others
of my set, and think with us women
that is one of the great causes of our
troubles We don't dare to face the worlds
talk, even when there is nothing to be
ashamed Of. I had hard time with inefi-
cient servants, for did not thrive and could
, notpay high enough prices osecure good ones.
But sent for two of my nieces, as poor as my
self, and together we did the work and shared
the profits. Let me say to you that If you
are poor and have tolerable health, do your
own work By that means swe got on and
had order and cleanliness and though life is
not exactly delightful to us, it is tolerable.
"As to the mdicrous side of poverty. We
sec enough of it. So many little shifts and
pretenses, though they are pathetic enough
sometimes. began by asking rather high
prices, and if they were refused, let the
rooms stay empty. But my purse began to get
empty too, and was obliged to compromise.
Sometimes did not like mans manner or
woman's costume, and was stiff, which
lost me considerable money. Then again,
some mems business was not to my taste, i
though they were very silent and unobtrusive
themselves. / lost many good boarder the
first year by standing too much on
my dignity. II o dancing master
generally teaches department to his
pupils, think some ono should
teach bankers daughter, in view of certain
possibilities, how to attract and deal pleas
antly with boarders. If it were not good
thing to be merry under the worst cireum-
stances, should not detain you so long with
my experiences: but if wo persistently ignore
the humor that is concealed in almost every
stage of poverty, We are making ourselves
moro miserable than God intended us to be. :,
Then she went on to enumerate the lulicrous
incidents which her poor boardcrs treated
her to day by day.
sIf raoaey troubles were everything.n said
q moody man, you would all be auarreling
who was the worst or among you. You
might be rich in money, and yet broken and
worthless 2
Ny host whispered to me that this man